Weekly Recap
With new
red tape created regarding Federal employee travel, we’re struggling
a little to get to some ports. For example, getting out to Martha’s
Vineyard to engage with fishermen on the island is presenting a bit of a
challenge because ferry tickets cost more than $1 (our
new, DOGE-implemented credit card limit). Because the initial setup
of deckboxes isn’t always a smooth process – just ask Captain Bill of
the F/V Eleanor Kathryn – we prefer to make sure someone from the eMOLT
tech team is on site during the installation, which mean we may have to
postpone installations in some locations temporarily unless we can get
other partners to cover for us.
Wind and weather earlier this week slowed down data collection at sea
a bit this week, but we’ve been busy in the lab, working on data
products and data requests to support multiple assessment teams here at
NEFSC as well as collaborators outside the agency at Commercial
Fisheries Research Foundation, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department,
and several fishing businesses.
Plots of sea surface temperatures for the region from Dr. Kim Hyde in
the Ecosystem Dynamics and Assessment Branch show some interesting
features this week, with a large warm core ring around -65 (W), 40 (N),
cold water all along the shelf slope down to about 36 (N), and some
warmer water pushing up along the shelf north of Cape Hatteras.

Figure 1a – Sea Surface Temps for the region (Celsius) over the
last week.
The anomaly plot is even more striking, with the cold water showing
up as substantially colder than normal (purple).

Figure 1b – Sea surface temperature anomalies for the region over
the last week.
This week, the eMOLT fleet recorded 138 tows of sensorized fishing
gear totaling 312 sensor hours underwater. The warmest recorded bottom
temperature was 49.7 F near Atlantis Canyon in approximately 94 fathoms
(red profile) and the coldest recorded bottom temperature was 37.8 F in
Cape Cod Bay in approximately 23 fathoms (blue profile). Below, you can
see these profiles plus a few other temperature profiles of interest
across the region from the last week.

Figure 2 – Temperature profiles collected by eMOLT participants
over the last week. The blue profile is where the coldest bottom
temperature was measured and the red profile is where the warmest bottom
temperature was measured. All other colors are assigned randomly.
Colored points on the map indicate where profiles of the same color were
collected. The small dark green dots represent other profiles collected
this week, but not highlighted in the plot. Note that the warmest /
coldest bottom temperatures measured could have occurred during gear
soaks, which are not represented on this profile plot.
System Hardware Upgrade List
The following vessels remain on our list for hardware upgrades. If
you aren’t on the list and think you should be, please reach out.
Note that this list is different from our new install
queue.
- F/V Kaitlyn Victoria
- F/V Kyler C
- F/V Noella C
- F/V Sea Watcher I
Bottom Temperature Forecasts
Doppio
This week, 76.6% of bottom temperature observations were within 2
degrees (F) of the Doppio forecasted value at those points, with strong
agreement around Cape Cod north along the coast into Maine. Temps were
warmer than expected out near Atlantis Canyon and cooler than expected
south of Long Island.

Figure 3 – Performance of the Doppio forecast’s bottom
temperature layer over the last week relative to observations collected
by eMOLT participants. Red dots indicate areas where bottom temperature
observations were warmer that predicted. Blue dots indicate areas where
bottom temperature observations were cooler than predicted. Bottom
temperature observations are compared with the most recent forecast run
available before the observation was made.

Figure 4 – The most recent Doppio bottom temperature forecast.
The gray line is the 50 fathom line and the black line is the hundred
fathom line. Purple shades indicate cooler water.
Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System

Figure 5 – The most recent bottom temperature forecast from the
Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System GOM7 model. The gray line is the
50 fathom line and the black line is the hundred fathom line. Purple
shades indicate cooler water.

Figure 6 – The most recent bottom temperature forecast from the
Northeast Coastal Ocean Forecast System MassBay model. Purple shades
indicate cooler water.
Announcements
Join us for a “Sip o’ Science” at Aquatic Brewing Company
Join us for a Sip o’ Science on Wednesday 3/26 at 5:30 PM at Aquatic Brewing Company
in Falmouth, MA and learn how fishermen and scientists work together
to monitor the ocean!
Center for Coastal Studies Marine Fisheries Research Director Owen
Nichols and George Maynard, coordinator of the Environmental Monitors on
Lobster Traps and Large Trawlers (eMOLT) program at the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center, will be joining Captain Doug Feeney of the
Chatham Harvesters Cooperative for Wednesday evening’s Sip o’ Science
event at the Aquatic Brewing Company. Owen, George, and Captain Doug
will talk about how they work together to deploy environmental sensors
on fishing gear that measure ocean conditions and water quality while
bringing fresh seafood to our plates!
Sea Scallop Industry Workshops Coming Up in March
NOAA scientists are collaborating with scallop fishermen, the
Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, and the University of
Connecticut to understand changing oceanographic conditions, impacts on
scallop fishing communities, and what we can do to adapt. This is a
continuation of a series of stakeholder workshops that began in 2021.
The 2025 workshops will be in late March in New Bedford MA (3/24),
Gloucester Point VA (3/27) and Barnegat Light NJ (3/28). Please check
out this
website for more info.
Contribute to the 2026 Management Track Fishery Stock
Assessments
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center seeks input from our regional
assessment partners, including the fishing industry (commercial and
recreational), state agency scientists, academic researchers, and
interested members of the public to help guide development of our next
Management
Track Assessments.
Specifically, the NEFSC is looking for on-the-water observations or
data sets on topics such as distribution, stock health, fishing dynamics
and management, and the role these stocks play in the ecosystem.
June 2026 Management Track Stocks include
- Atlantic herring
- Butterfish
- Georges Bank Atlantic cod
- Georges Bank haddock
- Longfin inshore squid
- Ocean quahog
Disclaimer
The eMOLT Update is NOT an official NOAA document. Mention of
products or manufacturers does not constitute an endorsement by NOAA or
Department of Commerce. The content of this update reflects only the
personal views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the
views of NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, or the United
States.
All the best,
-George and JiM